Carolina Heat Read Online Free Page A

to my idiocy, we wasted two whole days before we started to look for him.”
    “How responsible is your brother-in-law?” Annabelle asked delicately. His muffled footsteps drew to a halt.
    “Tad’s incredibly protective of his museum. It’s like his child. The thought of all those people coming for the gala, not to mention the press invading, would be enough to have him working twenty hour days to make sure everything was ready. You can see why we were worried.”
    “What happened next?” Annabelle tried to steer Ralph back on track. It was obvious this alleged disappearance disturbed him greatly.
    “Called the hotel, of course. Left a slew of messages. After three days of it, the desk clerk told us Tad checked out. The next day a telegram arrived. It said he needed a vacation and would be in touch. Haven’t heard a word since.”
    Annabelle watched the lively harbor scene while she tried to think of a diplomatic approach. First of all, she was already fixated on the problem of her own semi-missing person, her friend Vanessa. Second, there wasn’t really a story here for her to pursue. Tricky, since Ralph seemed too upset to react without bias.
    “I’m sorry, Ralph, but I don’t see how I can help. Sometimes people need a break.” She tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. “You could reach out to his friends, but you don’t need my investigative skills for that. You’d waste your money if you hired me.”
    “Damn it, Carlyle, I’m not finished!”
    Her cell phone beeped and went dead. So stupid – in her haze of jet lag, she’d forgotten to charge it last night. The timing was probably for the best, though. Ralph needed to calm down. Tad’s disappearance, although hard on his family, was a matter for the police, not for her. What had Jack been thinking, sending her down here?
    Unless there was more to it. There must be, she realized, or Jack wouldn’t have ordered her to help Ralph. Guilt nagged at her, but there was no way to finish the conversation at the water’s edge. She’d wrap up with Mark, and call Ralph from her room.
    “Everything all right?” Mark asked.
    “The usual work crisis,” she said, in a deliberately light tone. “Thanks for being patient.”
    “I have a feeling you might be worth the wait. Now, as your tour guide, I’d be remiss to bring you here without indicating the obligatory points of interest. We’ll start with Patriot’s Point.”
    She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know, Mark. I think I’ve reached my fill of history for the day.”
    He tugged at his hair and looked down at the ground. “Sorry about that. I lean towards overkill when I do these tours. But give me two more minutes. It’ll be worth it.” He waggled his eyebrows.
    Chances were it was a well-rehearsed move, but he was so cute she couldn’t resist. “Where is Patriot’s Point?”
    “Look all the way across the harbor. If you scoot to your left, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse.”
    Annabelle obediently shuffled over a few steps. “It would be much easier if I knew exactly what it is I’m supposed to be - oh!” Mark’s directions led her to step on one of the colored squares which triggered the fountain. A spray of water gushed upwards, and in her attempts to avoid it, she stepped on several other triggers. It was like dancing through a minefield of water. By the time she escaped the boundaries of the fountain, every inch of her clothes and hair dripped steadily.
    Mark, on the other hand, was totally dry. And doing a crappy job of smothering his laughter. He walked around to meet her on the other side.
    “Cooler now?” In a gallant gesture, he offered his handkerchief as a makeshift towel.
    Annabelle took it wordlessly and blotted her face. Then she returned his handkerchief, much damper but neatly folded. Tilting her head to counter the sun she asked, “Is Patriot’s Point over there, jutting out a bit?”
    “Yup. Where you see the two big ships docked.” Mark spoke